Fact: Valentine’s Day is second only to Christmas in terms of gift certificate sales. (Followed by Mothers’ Day.)
Fact: 80% of people are more inclined to use a service when it is recommended by a friend.
Fact: Gift certificates are incomparable tools for introducing yourself to new clients and encouraging those new clients to rebook.

Fact: It’s the New Year and it’s time for your massage / bodywork practice to adopt new, healthy, profitable marketing habits.

When you go through the effort of promoting your gift certificates, you want your efforts to pay off.

Selling certificates is one thing.
Getting the certificate recipients to use their gift is another.
Encouraging new clients to rebook with you is something else altogether.

Selling Certificates
“Natural Way to Get New Clients to Rebook: Marketing your massage gift certificates in the New Year” continues »

Last week I spoke with a charming new massage therapist. She was just about to sign a lease for her first studio when it was discovered the space next door was also to be leased to a massage therapist.

Her husband, bless him, was all for finding another spot and/or reading the landlord the riot act.

The question was whether to continue in that space (which she liked) or to move on.

I say, if you like the place stay where you are.
You know as well as I that massage therapy practices are not like grocery stores or hamburger stands. As a rule, most people don’t haul in to your parking lot on the spur of the moment expecting to find what they need.

“Is Your Neighbor a Competitor?: 3 reasons not to sweat it” continues »

This was the last week of our marketing consultation/brainstorming sessions.

I talked to twenty four massage therapists of all stripes, bodyworkers, energy workers, skin care specialists, and a new CEU teacher. I now have a general idea of your general situation and the general challenges you face. Generally.

Here’s an overview of five basic topics that came up in most of our sessions.

Your clients want to hear from you.
I am here to tell you that your clients do want to know what’s going on in your practice. They do welcome reminders that you exist, that you haven’t seen them in a while, that you are continuing your studies, that you have gift certificates for sale.

“Five Marketing Basics You Need to Understand: Massage marketing consulting sum-up” continues »

I had another great day brainstorming with the massage therapists who signed up for the marketing consultation/brainstorming sessions with me.

One of the folks I was talking to made me feel especially optimistic … and proud (there’s going to be a little back-patting here, but just a little). She said I could share her marketing experience with you.

Krissy is down in the Ft Worth,TX, area. She rented one of those reader boards with a black background and yellow lights.

“Brevity Sells: That’s it. That’s all I have to say. I’m done now.” continues »

Alarming, dismaying, disheartening … Well … maybe it wasn’t that bad. But, lordy, it wasn’t good.

Maybe flabbergasting?

I had breakfast* with my friend, former housemate and current customer last weekend. A year ago she moved her practice from one town to another.

In preparation for the move, she got 200 “I’m Moving” postcards with a message printed on the back.

While we were discussing her severe client fall-off over the past year it came to light that … “Horrifying. And True: A massage marketing AAAAAIIIGH!” continues »

You can spend $500 on a newspaper ad and maybe get 10 clients. Or you can spend $100 on an ad in a high school flyer and get 10 clients.

As I said in the last entry, you need to know whom you’re talking to. Once you know whom you’re talking to, you know what to talk about.

And when you know whom you’re talking to, you’ll know where to find them.

Yes. It will take more time and effort than just writing a check to your local paper. It will also attract the kind of clients you want to work with.

When you run a general ad in a general publication — local newspaper, Val-Pak, Yellow Pages, Google key word “Olympia” — you’re going to get lost in the shuffle. It’s better to focus your money and efforts on the specific group of clients you are looking for.

“Save Money, Find Better Clients: Eileen showers some brainstorming notes on you” continues »

You need to know who you’re talking to.

Even before you get started on any sort of postcard, email, letter, business card — any sort — you need to know who you’re talking to.

Whenever I do a massage marketing consultation or brainstorming with one of our customers (you), my second question is, “Who is your ideal client?”

Usually your first answer is something along the lines of:
… Cash paying client, disposable income financially sound single persons, or dual income family, health and wellness minded, self care oriented …

… Female, 35-65 years old, Ethnically Diverse, $45,000 plus annual income, No children OR Independent Adult Children, Degree’d with BA or Higher and/or Business Owner …

… I would prefer a mix of clientele. I also like having the long term relationships with clients who use massage for health maintenance or prevention …

Those are good answers. They are a good beginning. But you have to get more specific.

“Who Are You Talking to?: Sending your massage marketing message to the right client” continues »

I have had the best two days. Honestly, I’m pretty gush-y right now.

This Monday and Tuesday were the first two days of the free 20 minute massage / bodywork consultations I first offered about a month back.

The massage therapists, reflexologists, estheticians and reiki practitioners I talked to have tons of talent and a lot to offer.  All we did was brainstorm ways enhance their existing tools and strategies to help increase their visibility and their bottom line.

“Free Massage Marketing Consultations: Eileen has a hoot!” continues »

I got a really good question on the Ask Eileen page today. Brenda is a new therapist and needs your input. She’s moving to a new town and gets to decide between two opportunities.

Here’s what Brenda has to say:

I have been a massage therapist in KY for about 8 months and have a good job at a Day Spa here. I am moving to another city and just went to 2 interviews at the different Aveda salon and spas. My questions follow:

1. It’s a smaller business which is established in their hair and nail offered me the better commission. The only con at this place is that they have never had massage therapist before so they are planning to put a massage room at the basement in a small corner and no warranty how many massages I would get per week. They said tipping is usually good but no hourly pay.

“Chosing Where to Work in a New Town: Brenda asks Eileen” continues »

Writing copy for a promotional postcard is an art. But it’s an art like making good chocolate chip cookies is an art: after you follow the directions a couple times, you get comfortable and start to tweak things here and there.

You discover how to adjust the recipe to your tastes and how to make room for the desires of others. If your dad needs walnuts in his batch (blech!) you can make that happen. There are a myriad of chocolate chip cookie variations out there but they are all from the same basic recipe. There is no sense in messing with a proven winner.

Here’s the basic recipe (and proven winner) for a promotional message on a postcard:

“Tips for Copy on Promotional Postcards: “Look to the cookie!”” continues »